Glee Star, Azaria Join Smurfs Cast

Glee actress Jayma Mays has been cast as the female human lead in Sony’s upcoming hybrid CGI-live action updating of the Smurfs, while Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria has been given the role of the blue sprites’ nemesis, Gargamel.

Mays, who plays Emma Pilsbury on the hit Fox musical series, will play the pregnant wife to the already-cast Neil Patrick Harris, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Gargamel, a sorceror/alchemist usually accompanied by his cat Azrael, has been a thorn in the Smurfs’ side since a 1959 comic strip appearance. He also was the Smurfs’ main antagonist on the long-running and popular Hanna-Barbera TV series that ran on Saturday mornings in the 1980s.

Additional casting on the movie, which is directed by Raja Gosnell and begins production next month, include Katy Perry as Smurfette and voices from George Lopez and Alan Cumming.